The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945 after the

Second World War by 51 countries dedicated to maintaining international peace and security,
developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living and
standards and human rights. It is currently made up of about 193 member states. UN remains
as the second multipurpose international organization founded in the 20 th century that was
worldwide in scope and membership. Before the founding of the United Nations, the League
of Nations was founded in 1919 and served as an international cooperation between countries
before it disbanded in 1946.

UN’s headquarters is in New York City, and has regional offices in Geneva, Vienna,
and Nairobi. Officially, the language used in the organization are Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian, and Spanish.

The United Nation has high ambitions of saving succeeding generation from the
scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, to establish conditions under
which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of
international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of
life in larger freedom (UN Charter).

The organization highly values maintaining peace and security. It also stresses the
importance of developing friendly relations among countries based on respect for the
principles of equal rights and self-determination of people. Moreover, it also places a
significant weight on achieving worldwide cooperation to solve international economic,
social, cultural, and humanitarian problems, and respecting and promoting human rights.
Lastly, it aims to serve as a center where countries can coordinate their actions and activities
towards these various ends.

Initially, the UN forged a continuum with the League of Nations in general purpose,
structure and functions. However, in some aspects, the UN constituted a very different
organization, most especially with regard to its objectives. Due to the changes in the nature of
international relations, UN had to make modifications in its responsibilities and decision-
making apparatus. Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union heavily
affected UN’s security functions during its initial 45 years. Moreover, extensive post-World
War II decolonization in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East amplified the volume and nature
of political, economic, and social issues that faced the organization. Meanwhile, as the Cold
War ended in 1991, the UN was confronted with renewed attention and appeals. At the
beginning of the 21st century, the UN and its programs and affiliated agencies fought hard to
address humanitarian crises and civil wars, unprecedented refugee flows, the horrible effects
of the spread of AIDS, global financial disruptions, international terrorism, and disparities in
wealth between the world’s richest and poorest people.

Since the UN is not a state nor a government, it does not have an army and does not
impose taxes on its members. Thus, it heavily depends on the political will of its Member
States to have its decisions put into action and relies on the contribution of its members to
carry out its activities. Generally, the United Nations has six main organs, namely the
General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship
Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice.

The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the United Nations. It is
comprised of representatives form all Member States, each of which has one vote.
Meanwhile, the Security Council is primarily responsible for the maintenance of international
peace and security. It currently has 15 members and each member has one vote. On the other
hand, the Economic and Social Council focuses on the world’s economic, social, and
environmental challenges ate discussed and debated and policy recommendations issued. On
another note, the Trusteeship council was established to provide international supervision for
11 trust territories to make sure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for
self-government or independence. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice serves as the
primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is focused on settling legal disputes between
States and giving advisory opinions to the United Nations and its specialized agencies.
Lastly, the UN Secretariat is comprised of staff representing all nationalities working in duty
stations all over the world, and carries out the day to day work of the organization. The
Secretariat also assists the other principal organs of the UN and administers the programs and
policies established by them.

References:

https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/un-structure#:~:text=The%20United
%20Nations%20(UN)%20has,UN%20Headquarters%20in%20New%20York.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations

https://www.un.org/en/about-us